february eleventh.

today has been hard. mostly due to the last two hours of it, but we'll get there. my day started out going to go give blood at the blood drive at my old high school. blood really doesn't bother me, so that isn't that big of a deal to me. but anyway, after that i spent the rest of the day in timmy's room just hanging out with whoever so decided to show up. caroline, chaley, beth, timmy, and i finally left the school around five and went back to caroline's house and hung out for awhile. chaley and i picked a rather interesting fight with them about the differences between girls and guys brains, it was quite interesting. anyway, after that we went to eat mexican and then came back to caroline's where we talked for awhile, but this is where my night ended...

around ten thirty, i got a facebook message that came through on my phone from one of my daughters (not literal) from a summer camp called impact that i worked at this past summer. i don't think i've ever had a message break my heart the way hers did. she told me that one of the boys in my group died last night in a car accident. this boy's name was thomas goodson, and he was honestly one of the sweetest and kindest boys i'd ever met. My heart is breaking, to think of the pain that his friends and family are suffering through right now. it's so difficult to imagine that happening to a sixteen year old, someone so young with so much life yet to live. but at the same time how awesome is it that he accomplished the purpose that the Lord had for him in just a mere sixteen years. that he gets to go home and be with the Father? it's such a bittersweet thing for me. I'm devastated and heart broken that's he's gone, but overjoyed that He's home now. I just don't know what to say. After hearing this news I was going back through some old stuff from camp and I found one of the notes he had written me:

Mom,

This week was amazing! I'm so glad that we got to spend this glorious time together and grow in God. I will never forget this week as long as I live.

May God be with you,

Thomas Goodson.

This note, re-reading it, was so obvious to me. The way that he worded things- as long as i live. The Lord knew what was going to happen. He knew Thomas's time was coming to an end and that's just so awesome to me. That the Lord has it planned. And He is sovereign and holy and righteous and all powerful and all knowing. I know Thomas is in a better place, but I'm praying for those who have yet to reach our home. Those of us who miss Him here and await seeing him.

‎"The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death." -Isaiah 57:1-2